If you’ve lived in Japan for a while, then you have probably encountered a ”yuru-chara (ゆるキャラ)”, or ”laidback character”. These are bright, cuddly characters which represent places, regions, events, food, businesses – even prisons. They are created as a means of engaging the population in the country’s institutions and heritage. However, the first time I saw a yuru-chara on TV, I wasn’t so much “engaged” as I was “extremely confused as to what I had just witnessed”. The spectacle I came upon consisted of a yellow, blob-like creature with stumpy legs, jumping up and down while screeching amidst a series of catastrophic-looking explosions. I later found out from a Japanese friend that this screechy blob was called “Funassyi (ふなっしー)”. It wasn’t a blob, but a genderless pear that represents the city of Funabashi in Chiba Prefecture. After this first exposure, I have had a fascination with these surreal creatures ever since. While the persona of this yuru-chara seems cuddly and cute, beneath that child-friendly surface lies a money-making enterprise of staggering proportions. For example, the main retail company that deals with Funyassi merchandise, which includes TV show appearance, commercials and toys, earned over $8 million in sales in 2013. Overall, the yuru-chara craze has netted well over 1.7 trillion yen (US$16 billion). These numbers have more and more people wanting a slice of the yuru-chara pie, and there are currently around 1,500 various mascots in Japan. There is even an annual yuru-chara grand prix, a competition to decide the nation’s favorite mascot of the year.  

Some have called for a reduction of these excitable mascots because it’s becoming less and less clear what they are promoting. (Which, ironically, is literally what the “yuru” in “yuru-chara” means.) At the present moment, however, these yuru-chara aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. As long as they continue to generate jaw-dropping levels of cash, they’ll continue to bounce, wave, and multiply until… well… until they’ve taken over the planet. From the veritable sea of mascots out there, I’ve selected my own personal top three for introduction.

Katakkuri-chan (カタックリちゃん)

The infamous “prison” yuru-chara makes this list because it represents everything weird and wonderful about these Japanese mascots. Katakkuri-chan is the symbol of the notoriously strict Asahikawa Prison (旭川刑務所). His cherubic face and the purple flower sticking out of his hat make him seem benign and friendly. Indeed, he was created to change the image of Asahikawa Prison into one which is more welcoming to the general public. The officials at Asahikawa see society playing its part in supporting the rehabilitation of people who have served their time, and according to them, this cute bundle of joy is the solution.

Sento-kun (せんとくん)

The yuru-chara of the ancient city of Nara is either an inspired design or a walking nightmare. Created in 2008, Sento-kun is meant to embody the spirit of Nara, with the city’s deeply-rooted Buddhist traditions and large deer population. So what we get is a character that is half-Buddhist monk and half-deer. Unlike many other mascots, you know what it represents, even if that representation is slightly haunting.

Kumamon (くまもん)

The undisputed king of yuru-chara. The friendly bear from Kumamoto Prefecture features a simple design that makes him a joy to merchandise. His rosy cheeks and ambiguous expression have been slapped on stationary, toys, posters, and bags of rice. Kids love him, adults love him, and while his commercial portfolio is worth billions of dollars, the whole of Japan will continue to love him.　A perfect example of the power of this lovable bear is after the devastating Kumamoto earthquake recently, social media has been filled with images of the friendly bear as a way of cheering up the local community during this difficult time and showing a country wide, and worldwide, support to the affected areas of this disaster.
So, as we have seen, these colorful, cuddly characters may seem eccentric and benign at first, but we would be foolish to scoff at them. Not only are they able to power local economies and bring joy to millions, but they are also distinctly Japanese in concept and design which, ultimately, makes them part of the fabric of Japanese culture.